VandeVenter, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum in her shoulder after the season, said she is doing fine. Of more concern is seeing Iowa bounce back from a 14-16 record.
It was the first losing season in Lisa Bluder's seven years as coach and the first time in her tenure that the Hawkeyes didn't advance to a postseason tournament.
"We've been thinking about last season all summer, all fall again," VandeVenter said Wednesday at the team's media day. "It's time to go, and I think we're all pretty excited about it.
"I expect a lot of good things from our team. Definitely the NCAA Tournament. We have to get back there for sure."
One reason for VandeVenter's optimism is that for the first time in years, Iowa appears to have a full roster after being down to seven or eight healthy bodies the past two seasons.
In 2005-06, five players had knee surgery. Last season, the injuries were more diverse.
VandeVenter hurt her shoulder in the final 2006 preseason game and played most of the season with the injury. Center Megan Skouby broke her hand in midseason. Forward Johanna Solverson tore her anterior cruciate ligament for the second straight summer in 2006.
All are back and healthy, with Solverson getting a waiver allowing her to be a sixth-year senior.
Iowa adds JoAnn Hamlin, a transfer forward-center who averaged 10 points a game as a freshman with Kansas State and will give the Hawkeyes a needed physical presence. Freshman guard Kachine Alexander provides some quickness in the backcourt. Freshman forward Kelsey Cermak adds offensive depth.
"You walk into our practice and it just feels right," Bluder said. "The chemistry is there, the optimism is there, the enthusiasm is there.
"Right now, I have 13 bodies and I haven't had 13 bodies in practice for a long, long time. It feels really, really good."
Even with the added depth, Iowa will be continue to be led by its junior class, headed by point guard Kristi Smith and forward Wendy Ausdemore, each third-team all-Big Ten a year ago, and the 6-foot-6 Skouby, the conference's freshman of the year in 2006.
"I think people put barriers on us and think we can't break through those barriers," Skouby said. "This year, we have everyone back. This is going to be the year that we break through those boundaries and barriers that everybody set for us."
While Iowa was one of the best shooting teams in the country - it ranked second nationally in 3-point shooting at 40.2 percent, and fifth in free-throw shooting at 78.8 percent - it was also one of the softest defensive teams for the second consecutive season.
Iowa scored 67.8 points per game, but allowed 71.7, five more than any other team in the Big Ten. It was 10th in the Big Ten in turnover margin, giving the ball up 2.73 more times per game than it took the ball away. Iowa was eighth in rebounding margin.
Bluder said Iowa will be more aggressive defensively, in part because the deeper bench will allow more pressure.
"We'll have more denial than we've had in the past," she said. "Three years ago, we went to a more sagging man-to-man, and that just wasn't working for us. So we went back to the way we were used to playing, and that was a little more aggressive, more pressure on the ball, denying the passing lanes."
Hill scored 37 points against Rockhurst, setting a single-game team record. She also grabbed 11 rebounds and three steals in the win. As a team, Drury broke the school record for most points scored and most steals (33) in a game in the 114-49 victory.
Hill also contributed 11 points and eight rebounds in the victory over St. Edward’s. For the week, she average 54.5 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from three-point range.
Drury, ranked first in the Division II South Central Region, is the nation’s fourth-leading scoring offense with 85.0 points per game. The Lady Panthers are beating foes by a 28.3-point average, which ranks second in the NCAA, while holding opponents to a 34.5 field goal percentage, which is fifth in the nation.
THREE-PEAT: No. 3 Washburn defeated No. 6 Emporia State, 57-48, on February 23 to clinch the Lady Blues third consecutive Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title.
Washburn (25-2, 15-2) will be the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Tournament March 3-6.
The Lady Blues run a stifling defense, holding foes to just 52.1 points per game, while boasting the nation’s sixth-best scoring margin of 21.7. They out-rebound opponents by 10.3 per game. Washburn is 12th in the nation with a 46.6 field goal percentage, while limiting opponents to just a 35.2 field goal percentage (16th in NCAA).
GIVE ME SOME SUGAR: Central Arkansas defeated Arkansas-Monticello, 65-61, on February 21 to earn its first-ever Gulf South Conference West regular season title.
Carone Harris poured in 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Caronica Randle scored 18 and posted 11 rebounds.
Harris also added five steals in the victory, setting the NCAA record for career steals in all divisions. Her career total currently stands at 625. Harris leads the NCAA this season with 5.7 steals per game.
The Sugar Bears, first in the Division II South Regional rankings, have won 17 of their last 18 games after starting the season with a 3-5 record.
TITLE HUNT: No. 9 Merrimack earned a share of the Northeast-10 regular season title as the Warriors defeated Bryant, 70-66, on February 22.
Joelle Martin poured in a career-high 28 points and senior Eileen Brosnihan recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Martin leads the Warriors in scoring with 16.5 points per game.
Merrimack (23-4, 18-4), the top team in the Division II East Regional rankings, will be the No. 1 in the Northeast-10 Tournament after No. 15 Bentley fell to No. 22 American International on February 23.
SECOND TIME AROUND: North Dakota’s Chelsea Hausauer earned North Central Conference Co-Player of the Week for the second time this season after helping the Sioux to a 78-73 win over South Dakota on February 19.
Hausauer scored a career-high 31 points and shot 50 percent from the floor in the victory.
No. 14 North Dakota is second in the Division II North Central rankings. The Sioux boast the 10th-best scoring average in the nation with 80.2 points, while out-rebounding opponents at an 8.6 clip, which ranks 13th in the NCAA. North Dakota (20-5) currently owns first place in the North Central Conference standings with an 8-2 record.
